While it's pretty much impossible for a co-op or condo board or employee to commit fraud on the scale of a Bernie Madoff or any one of the herd of shysters who have tromped through the news in recent years, building boards and managers cert…
The first of the month rolls around and it’s time to pay the bills that keep your building operational. Repairs might need to be made, staff salaries paid, maintenance done to keep all the common elements running, and supplies reordered. Th…
Preparing the annual budget for a condo or HOA isn't quite like figuring out a budget for a couple, or even a large family. The board of a multifamily building or association has to consider all the angles—past, current, and future—when for…
In this challenging economy, many co-op and condo buildings are struggling to pay their bills while planning for future needs. Still, most building boards and HOAs are loathe to raise maintenance fees or levy special assessments on their re…
If you’ve never seen an Alfred Hitchcock film and are looking for an entry point, considering adding The Birds to your Netflix queue. As an added bonus, you’ll not only be watching one of Hitch’s classics, you’ll also gain a true appreciati…
Like any company, a multifamily residential community generates a lot of paperwork in the course of doing business, from employment records to tenant records and more. It can be an enormous amount of stuff to manage, and knowing what to kee…
In the past, when it came time to do a remodeling project, no one really ever had much of an idea as to how things would turn out. Architects and designers would come by with blueprints or swatches of color and fabric and ask you to just im…
In the past, developers would throw a few chairs and tables into a large room and call it a common area or a recreation room and leave it at that. Today, however, there's more to designing, maintaining and upgrading a successful common area…
One universal truth on which we all can agree is that kids like to play. They love little more than getting together and having a bang-up good time. And in almost any cooperative, condominium or homeowners’ association, there is likely to b…
Spring cleaning isn't just for unit owners. As we move out of the winter months, now is a great time to make sure your property is “spic and span” for the rest of 2016. The Chicagoland Cooperator recently spoke with property managers Bill W…